Lessons to Learn from another Ministerial Collapse

I am a member/attender of Celebration Church, Jacksonville, FL. My local church is currently going through a high-profile collapse from its former senior leader/pastor, Stovall Weems. It has produced numerous challenges for the staff, members, and numerous people associated with the church. It has caused reproach within the city of Jacksonville. It has solicited jokes, cynicism, and reestablished the general skepticism the world has concerning the megachurch specifically and the Church in general. If you want to know more, it’s easy enough to find without me supplying links.

I have genuinely prayed as to whether this moment deserves any commentary from me. Sometimes church debacles simply need our silence and prayer. Internet op-ed writers abound and the last thing I need is to develop a reputation of being enamored with my own opinion. These moments bring all sorts of self-appointed experts out of the woodwork. No genuine believer wants to be caught gossiping, being critical, or a busy body. Sometimes we just press forward with no words or moments of reflection. We just try to avoid the uncomfortable. These things are understandable, especially in an age where every passing thought is posted on social media.

That said, I also know there are thousands of people who have read the Nelson Mullins Law Firm Investigative Report released yesterday to the public on behalf of the church, as well as watched the replies on social media platforms from the Weems’.  Some, if not many, of these people are relatively new Christian believers, Christians lacking wisdom and maturity, and those who are profoundly disappointed. It is to these groups I have the most empathy. As a believer who has over 44 years of Christian journey under my belt, as well as 42 years of active, vocational Christian ministry, I too find myself processing this moment.

To those who may be processing all that is before us and honestly, that which is yet to come, I simply want to offer what I have been reminding myself. Disappointment, discouragement, and deception do not magically disappear because of longevity in the Kingdom. These are forces which will plague us all until the day we die, or Jesus comes for us. Foundational doctrine 101 is that we all live in a broken, dysfunctional, and sinful world. It has touched the human race inherently and without the empowering grace of God, the precious blood of Christ, and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, we are all toast. So, we will deal with these stories of collapse for the foreseeable future. That’s not to say we should legitimize sinful behavior, but rather understand our fallen world is a reality and while it and the devil can be overcome through Christ, these realities should also be respected with appropriate preparation.

Jesus said, “Offenses are inevitable…” (Luke 17:1)

David reminds us, “It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in man.” (Psalm 118:8)

This moment personally for Celebration Church, as well as this moment corporately for groups like Hillsong Church, is the moment to learn and implement those things which will strengthen our testimonies and credibility. Rehearsing and “nursing” our wounds may give context for our disappointments and offenses but refusing to break out of that pattern will only paralyze you emotionally for your future. Again, this is no justification or covering for the perpetrators of abuse or illegality, but rather a path forward for those who find themselves struggling. For most of us, we will not be in the forums which directly communicate or decide how the organization will move forward or deal with the information at hand. We will be observers in the bleachers pained at what we are watching. However, that pain can be our teacher if we choose to view it productively and providentially.

I am reminded today in the midst of my disappointments…

1. That I am allowed to grieve the moment.

I am saddened on multiple levels for what I have seen and read. I am saddened by the possibilities lost, the people wounded, and the promises suspended. I grieve for the people involved in the collapse and the Church which is reeling from it. I grieve that the community is confused. I grieve for the baby Christians scratching their heads. I grieve that the Gospel will be conflated with the issues of the collapse. I grieve that there will be people who will never recover from such a moment.

You can grieve too. Grief isn’t a bad thing, unless you camp there for years. Take a brief moment (or season) and grieve. David grieved over the loss of his child, but there came a moment he stopped his grieving, washed his face, and got back to work. That moment will come for you too. I am grieving, but not as one who has no hope. (I Thessalonians 4:13-14)

2. That I need to embrace any personal lesson I am receiving from the collapse I am watching.

There is an old saying that says, “There but for the grace of God go I”, attributed to John Bradford (1510-1555). It basically means that any of us may be capable of what we are watching, but for the grace of God, we have not done it. It is meant to give another person’s fall context to our own frailties. Again, a person who robs a store needs to go to jail, but we are not far from thievery ourselves.

There are always points of learning in any person’s failure. Where did they go wrong? Where there any signs that should have been acknowledged? What were the contributing factors in this moment? And most importantly…

Are there any signs or factors that I have missed in my own life that I have refused to acknowledge?

3. That I must forgive 70 times 7. (Matthew 18:22)

Forgiveness is as much for me as it is for any offender. By forgiving others, I am not letting them off the hook for their offenses or crimes, but rather I am ridding myself of the corpse of bitterness that is riding on my back. Forgiveness doesn’t always mitigate appropriate justice for perpetrators, but it does release the forgiver from a lifetime of painful shadows. I am convinced that Jesus taught such forgiveness from His people in order to keep them free in their spirit.

After 44 years of walking with Jesus and His people, I can assure everyone reading that forgiveness will be a lifetime act.

4. That I must apply “just scales” and not emotional retribution. (Proverbs 16:11)

It is easy to be hurt and lash out. No one is suggesting that a legitimate moment of abuse or injustice isn’t worthy of some tears or anger. However, just as the American legal system is built on facts and evidence without emotion or partiality, so is the Lord when it comes to vengeance and retribution. Battles are the Lord’s, not ours. His justice is perfect, tempering judgment with mercy. All of us, at the moment of injustice, want “the book” thrown at people. This is natural to our flesh. However, resist “book throwing”, and ask God for just scales that His Will and ways are perfectly dispensed.

I have found in these moments of church life, there can be a lot of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and mishandling of information. I cannot allow my disappointment to provoke me into knee-jerk statements or reactions. I certainly have my opinion, but it needs weighed on God’s scales and not my emotions.

5. That I cannot disconnect from fellow believers or Christ’s Church.

When I pastored, I used to tell my church that I am not the last pastor they had who disappointed them, and they are not the last member I visited with who disappointed me. We need to believe the best of each other until proven otherwise. Yes, highly visible ministers have fallen and disappointed many of us. The Church has not always responded or acted in the best of ways. All of this needs to change. However, a bad experience does not invalidate the fact that there are thousands of great churches. Disconnecting or deconstructing your faith over a bad experience (or experiences), is the lazy way of faith.

Despite a thousand disappointments I have experienced in the ministry, I still get up every Lord’s Day and trek to the House of God. I still want to be connected to His Body called the Church. This is where I will find healing, help, and support. Of course, the Church isn’t perfect, but it is being perfected. It is happening before our very eyes. I am not ejecting from this moment of that work of sanctification. Neither should you.

6. That I still need a pastor in my life.

I was a pastor in a local church for over 35 years. I am currently pastoring pastors all through the state of Florida. I have a lot of theological education. I am a voracious self-learner. My wife and I have navigated some tough spots and difficult times in our 40-year journey. We are not spiritual rookies. That said, we want…and need to connect with a local church and have a pastor. You still need a pastor in your life.

Just because a couple of pastors collapse, doesn’t mean you get to avoid having one.

For mercy’s sake, how many realtors, bankers, doctors, civic leaders, contractors, plumbers, automotive technicians, barbers, and the like have fallen, and you keep going back to these professions without the blink of an eye?

Yet…

You’ll never “trust” a pastor again? (Reminder…there are untold thousands of quality shepherds laboring selflessly in Christ’s Kingdom. Find one. Sit down. Learn. Serve the Lord. Continue your Christian journey.)

7. That Jesus has never failed me.

I love God’s people and God’s leaders, but at the end of the day I am in this for Jesus. Jesus isn’t a part of my life; He IS my life. And I appreciate how Jesus uses men and women to speak to me and assist me on my journey with Him. Some of them have had incredible impact and meaning in my life and I will honor that. But only Jesus saved me, healed me, and delivered me. I am in this for Him.

And I am reminded that as many who may appreciate me and the ministry I have offered them through the years, that at the end of their day, they are to follow Jesus…not me.

What we are processing today isn’t new in church life or church history. Sadly, it happens more than it should. Gladly, I don’t have to be rocked by it.

There will undoubtedly be more public information and disappointment to be shared. I, nor any of you, can stop that but we can hold on to the Rock which is immovable and sure. It is going to be okay. It always has been and shall always be.